Soon print your own food, thanks to a Barcelona startup

Oct.23, 2013

3D-printed food doesn't exactly sound appetizing. But a Spanish-based startup, Natural Machines, is hoping to change it. Natural Machines is developing a 3D printer that will allow you to print your own food, and it can be used to turn fresh ingredients into finished edible objects such as cakes and ravioli.

Based in the Glòries Incubator, this company uses 3D printing technology to reinvent the relationship with food. It has now announced the launch of a new device called Foodini, which allows you to create and make prints of chocolate, pasta, cakes, or complicated design to be added to foods. The idea is that you will set the machine up before you go to work in the morning, and in the evening when you get home a fresh pasta is ready.

Unlike other 3D printers, which prints in a single material, Natural Machine's device can use six capsules for six different ingredients. It also has a heater built in to keep the food warm during the printing process.

According to Lynette Kucsma, a former Microsoft employee who joined the company earlier this year, in the future users will be able to buy the ingredients in stores and simply put them into the machines. The device will also be Internet-enabled so users can share their experiences and recipes in user community.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal Chief Executive Emilio Sepulveda said the 3D food printer will probably retail for around €1,000 ($1,366). Mr. Sepulveda believes home use would be the main market for this device, but he thinks it could also be a hit with professional chefs. "It is faster than made-by-hand and it is more consistent. It also frees up the time for chefs to do other things." said Mr. Sepulveda. "If you want to print out a 100-calorie chocolate, you can do just that."

Natural Machines was founded 18 months ago by four founders. It has five full-time employees and is in informal talks with venture-capital firms about a funding round, according to The Wall Street Journal. The company has been awarded with a prize as finalist at 7th edition of the XXI Entrepreneurship Prize of Catalonia.